How to Write a Business Plan Course

Business Plan Basics

Writing a business plan will help you understand all the different components of your idea or venture and can be of great benefit. Rather than starting off by writing a plan, we're going to explore our business model by breaking it down into different stages. When we have all the relevant information we can put together as many business plans as we need.

• What Is a Business Plan?

  3:42

• Business Model Basics & Customer Segments

  4:03

• Business Model Basics & Customer Segments

  6 questions

• Value Proposition & Channels

  2:00

• Customer Relationships and Key Resources

  1:51

• From Value Proposition to Key Resources

  5 questions

• Key Activities and Partners

  3:29

• Revenue Streams and Costs

  4:40

• Types of Business Plans

  5:46

• Business Plans

  5 questions

• Extra Credit

  We went over the basics of writing a business plan but if you don't have an existing business it can be hard to implement these steps. If you're interested in putting the concepts we just learned into practice, you can experiment with an existing industry.

  In the book, Business Model Generation, the authors walk us through an exercise, mapping Apple's iPod business on to the Business Model Canvas. Similarly, you can pick an industry that excites you, or one that you would like to break into, and pick a company to model. Walk through each section of the canvas and try and figure out what gives this company a competitive advantage.

  It is an excellent exercise and you will be surprised at how some companies operate and succeed in such a crowded market.

Business Plans for a Freelance Business

Building upon what we learned in the previous stage, we’re going to breakdown a hypothetical freelance business using the business model canvas. We will then use the information we derive to put together planning documents for our business.

• Setting the Stage

  0:58

• The Basics of our Business

  3:01

• Interacting with Our Customers

  4:14

• Operational Strategies

  2:46

• Creating a Plan

  5:26

• Business Plans for a Freelance Business

  6 questions